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| We have been accused of having
a great deal of fun with our clients – and
it’s true. While much of what we do is serious
in nature, we find time for the lighter side. We
help our clients raise the bar and encourage them
to set ambitious expectations for our work together.
While we are constantly coming up with new and
different approaches, we have created a few Matthew-ryanisms
(analogies, metaphors, and silly examples) that
make sense to our clients - so we keep using them!
Here are a few favorites:
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| Knot Holes & Elbows –
When someone is looking at where they are in their
career and they are looking ahead wondering what
they should be doing next … it’s like
looking through a knot hole in a plank-board
fence. Our work involves helping people get their
elbows up on top of the fence so they can
see their options, see what is available, and understand
how they can move forward most effectively. |
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| The Complete Set - When we ask
clients “what are the skills, qualifications,
and capabilities that make you most employable and
valuable, they usually struggle to come up with
more than half a dozen. We associate great importance
with the marketing of a complete set of
such skills – a set that includes 10-12 distinct
areas of qualification. Think of how difficult it
would be to market three chrome car wheels or an
incomplete set of golf clubs. |
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| B-M-E’s – We are
not the first to convince people that great conversations,
interviews, and meetings have discernable beginnings,
middles, and ends. Knowing how
high the stacks are for our clients, we carefully
prepare and outline B-M-E’s. |
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| Four Levels of Proficiency with Self Marketing
- Associated with the complete set mentioned above,
there are four levels of proficiency with self-marketing.
These levels can be viewed as four steps where the
lowest level deals with the obligation one has to
call to the attention of others what makes them
most employable and valuable. The next level deals
with the need for substantiation … the third
involves the need to associate with the needs of
the other party … and the fourth deals with
one’s ability to consciously market the complete
set well. |
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| HITCO – This concept is
important for clients in transition. HITCO is an
acronym for High Interest Target Companies. After
someone locks in on the type of role in which they
are most interested, attention shifts to finding
companies employing people in that role. Using a
variety of resources we cycle through HITCO lists
until the transition is complete. There are three
stages to HITCO. The first deals wit the identification
and investigation of selected companies …
the second deals with careful development of approach
plans … and the third deals with making contact,
developing interest, and raising value. |
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| Model Candidate – We created
the model candidate concept to help clients
understand where they stand in relation to an individual
who is likely to receive an offer. Our one-on-one
preparation with clients brings us to a point where
we understand where they stand in relation to the
model candidate … we then do what we can to
close the gap. |
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| Time First - Getting a job offer
happens after you have been afforded time ... you
are then given consideration. We concentrate on
getting conversations and meetings scheduled ...
and getting time first. |
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| Content, Order & Process
- There is little doubt that the most important
aspect of any career advancement effort involves
the communication strategy and language one uses.
The content, order, and process
of information as well as the actual language used,
are critical to the outcome. |
